Office for Climate and Environmental Research
Center for Research and Evaluation in the Social Sciences
The Office for Climate and Environmental Research (OCER) aims to identify and improve environmental conditions through rigorous research and collaborative action.
Interim Director:
Affiliated Faculty and Staff:
Affiliated Initiatives and Labs:
The Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program (HCRI) was established in 1998 to provide support for research and training to build capacity to effectively manage coral reef ecosystems in Hawaiʻi. It has been guided by the belief that social science provides a critical foundation to long term sustainability of natural resources. Current areas of focus are Marine Resource Assessment and Monitoring; Marine Enforcement Support; Ocean Recreation; and Education and Outreach.
Recent Work
DeMaagd, N. P., Fuleky, K.M. Burnett, and C. A. Wada. 2022. Tourism Water Use During the COVID-19 Shutdown. Annals of Tourism Research, in press.
DeMaagd, N. P., Fuleky, K.M. Burnett, and C. A. Wada. 2022. Tourism Water Use During the COVID-19 Shutdown. Annals of Tourism Research, in press.
Brauman, K. A., Bremer, L. L., Hamel, P., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Roman-Dañobeytia, F., Bonnesoeur, V., et al. (2022). Producing valuable information from hydrologic models of nature-based solutions for water. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 18(1),135–147. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4511
Burnett, K.M., S. Pongkijvorasin, and C. A. Wada. 2022. Multidisciplinary and Intersectoral Collaborations in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Examples from Japan and Thailand, In: The Water, Energy, and Food Security Nexus in East and Southeast Asia, eds: E. Lee, B. Böer, L. Surendra, J.A. Chun, and M. Taniguchi, Springer Press.
Okuhata, B. K., El-Kadi, A. I., Dulai, H., Lee, J., Wada, C. A., Bremer, L. L., et al. (2022). A density-dependent multi-species model to assess groundwater flow and nutrient transport in the coastal Keauhou aquifer, Hawai‘i, USA. Hydrogeology Journal, 30 (1), 231–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-021-02407-y
Szuster, B.W. & M. Peng. (2021). Longitudinal Perspectives on Crowding and Management at a Beach Park in Hawaii. Ocean and Coastal Management. 211.
Szuster, B.W., M. Needham, L. Lesar & Q. Chen. (2021). From a Drone’s Eye View: Indicators of Overtourism in Sea, Sun, and Sand Destinations. Journal of Sustainable Tourism.
Bremer, L. L., Keeler, B., Pascua, P., Walker, R., & Sterling, E. (2021). Nature-based solutions, sustainable development, and equity. In Nature-based Solutions and Water Security (pp. 81–105). Elsevier.
Cassin, J., Matthews, J. H., Lopez-Gunn, E., Bremer, L. L., Coxon, C., Dominique, K., et al. (2021). Nature-based solutions: Action for the 21st century. In Nature-based Solutions and Water Security (pp. 445–454). Elsevier.
Dulai, H., Smith, C. M., Amato, D. W., Gibson, V., & Bremer, L. L. (2021). Risk to native marine macroalgae from land-use and climate change-related modifications to groundwater discharge in Hawaiʻi. Limnology And Oceanography Letters. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10232
Meza-Prado, K., Bremer, L. L., Nelson, S., Brauman, K. A., Vargas, A. M., & Gould, R. K. (2021). “Putting Suppliers on the Map:” Centering Upstream Voices in Water Funds Outreach. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 174(1), 85–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1936-704x.2021.3362.x
Wada, C. A., Burnett, K. M., Okuhata, B. K., Delevaux, J. M., Dulai, H., El-Kadi, A. I., Gibson, V., Smith, C., & Bremer, L. L. (2021). Identifying wastewater management tradeoffs: Costs, nearshore water quality, and implications for marine coastal ecosystems in Kona, Hawai‘i. Plos One, 16(9), e0257125. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257125
Brauman, K. A., Bremer, L.L., Hamel, P., Tocachi, B. F. O., Roman‐Dañobeytia, F., Bonnesoeur, V., Arapa, E., & Gammie, G. (2021). Producing Valuable Information from Hydrologic Models of Nature‐Based Solutions for Water. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4511
Bremer, L.L., Nathan, N., Trauernicht, C., Pascua, P. A., Krueger, N., Jokiel, J., Barton, J. & Daily, G. C. (2021). Maintaining the Many Societal Benefits of Rangelands: The Case of Hawai‘i. Land, 10(7), 764. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10070764
Bremer, L.L., DeMaagd, N., Wada, C. A., & Burnett, K. M. (2021). Priority watershed management areas for groundwater recharge and drinking water protection: A case study from Hawai ‘i Island. Journal of Environmental Management, 286, 111622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111622
Bremer, L.L., Elshall, A.S., Wada, C.A., Brewington, L., Delevaux, J.M.S., El-Kadi, A.I., Voss, C.I., & Burnett, K.M. (2021). Effects of land cover and watershed protection futures on sustainable groundwater management in Hawaiʻi. Hydrogeology Journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-021-02310-6
Melone, A., Bremer, L. L., Crow, S. E., Hastings, Z., Winter, K. B., Ticktin, T., Rii, Y.M., Wong, M., Kukea-Shultz, K., Watson, S.J., & Trauernicht, C. (2021). Assessing Baseline Carbon Stocks for Forest Transitions: A Case Study of Agroforestry Restoration from Hawaiʻi. Agriculture, 11(3), 189. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11030189
Mandle, L., Estrada-Shields, A., Chaplin-Kramer, C., Mitchell, G.E.M., Bremer, L.L., Gourevitch, J.D., Hawthorne, P., Johnson, J., Robinson, B.E., Smith, J.R., Sonter, L.J., Verutes, G.M., Vogls, A.L, Daily, G.C., & Ricketts, J.H. (2021). Increasing decision relevance of ecosystem service science. Nature Sustainability, 4(2), 161-169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00625-y
Philips, L. P., Szuster, B. W., & Needham, M. D. (2019). Tourist value orientations and conflicts at a marine protected area in Hawaii. International Journal of Tourism Research, 21(6), 868-881.